Texas A&M 21, Colorado 13

BOULDER, Colo. {AP} With six minutes left, it looked like certain victory for Colorado. Five minutes later, it looked like overtime or even a loss for Colorado.

Two linebackers made sure the latter didn't happen.

Kory Mossoni sacked Mark Farris, forcing a fumble, and Joey Johnson scooped up the ball and ran 52 yards for a touchdown as No. 20 Colorado held off No. 25 Texas A&M 31-21 on Saturday.

"In the end, we just made one more play," Colorado coach Gary Barnett said.

Texas A&M, which trailed 24-14 early in the final quarter, got a quick touchdown on Farris' third TD pass of the game. The Aggies then appeared to be driving for a tying field goal or possible go-ahead TD when Farris was sacked from behind by blitzing linebacker Mossoni, and Johnson ran it back with 58 seconds left.

"It was getting ugly out there for a while at the end," Johnson said. "We were definitely on our heels.

"That was an unexpected blitz we threw at them, a double blitz off the edge, and it ended up being a big play. I don't think they were ready for it."

Mossoni blitzed off one end and Johnson off the other.

"They had only one back in the backfield," Johnson said. "He came my way to block me, which left Kory wide open. I didn't know if it was a fumble. I just picked it up and took off. The next thing I know I'm buried (by teammates) in the end zone."

Craig Ochs directed Colorado (5-1, 3-0 Big 12) to 18 straight points as the Buffaloes rallied from a 14-6 deficit to take a 10-point advantage.

The Aggies needed only 21 seconds to score. Farris passed 22 yards to Terrence Murphy, then hit Murphy on a 36-yard scoring pass with 5:09 left.

Jeremy Flores' 53-yard punt pinned A&M at its own 9-yard line with 2:16 to go. The Aggies promptly drove to the Colorado 35 with short passes, but Mossoni's blindside sack forced the critical fumble. Oddly enough, it was Colorado's first fumble recovery of the season.

Aggies coach R.C. Slocum said his team was "confident the game was ours. It got down to the wire. We had the momentum going, had everything in our favor, and we fumbled the football. Colorado gambled and won. The play we ran had enough coverage for the blitz. We just missed the block, and it turned out to be fatal."

Farris, who passed for 334 yards, said he, too, felt confident in the waning moments.

"We felt like we were going to score," Farris said. "Give them credit  they made the play to win the game."

After a 14-14 halftime time, Flores kicked a 39-yard field goal for a 17-14 lead late in the third quarter.

Ochs passed 35 yards to McCoy to set up Johnson's score with 11:45 left.

The Buffaloes struck early for an 18-yard field goal by Flores. On the opening kickoff, Colorado's Clyde Surrell tackled Sammy Davis on the Aggies 10. Justin Bannan had back-to-back tackles for 4-yard losses on each, and A&M was forced to punt from its own 2.

McCoy's diving 41-yard reception set up Flores' wind-aided, career-best 51-yard field goal early in the second quarter.

Texas A&M countered with a pair of touchdown passes from Farris to Jamaar Taylor just 3:24 apart.

Taylor got behind cornerback Donald Strickland and hauled in a 64-yard scoring pass. Murphy broke a tackle and turned a short pass into a 32-yard gain, and Taylor made a leaping 5-yard reception in the corner of the end zone with 5:20 left in the half.

Three penalties forced A&M to punt from its own 1, and Colorado took possession near midfield with 1:47 left. The Buffs converted a fourth-down play, and Ochs hit McCoy for a touchdown, then found McCoy again for the 2-point conversion.

Colorado outrushed Texas A&M 170-42. The Aggies were more effective through the air as Farris completed 30 of 49 passes. Murphy had 10 catches and Taylor nine, both for 146 yards.

Third-string cornerback Terrence Wood, forced into action because of injuries to Rod Sneed and Phil Jackson, had two second-half interceptions of Farris, including an end-zone pick with five seconds to go.